Where is the project located?
The mission is based in Siret, a small town in northern Romania, directly on the border to southwestern Ukraine.
Starting from Siret, daily supply tours are made from Monday to Friday. Usually, we drive to locations within Chernivtsi Oblast in southwestern Ukraine.
What kind of work can I expect?
You can look forward to a lot of teamwork and physical work: Sorting donations, preparing pallets and loading the cars for the next trip are typical daily tasks.
A key location is the warehouse in Siret, also called “Halla”. Trucks with donations regularly arrive there and need to be unloaded. Arriving donations are sorted in the warehouse.
Where am I accomodated?
Your rotation (4-10 volunteers) are hosted by Father Daniel (the orthodox priest of Siret), his wife Crina and their two teenage sons. They have been hosting our mission since early 2023 and provided us with more than just a base – a home, a sanctuary and an inviting and inspiring atmosphere.
Aside from multi-bed rooms, there is a common area (known as “the boma”) with a beautiful garden kitchen.
What does a typical day look like?
a typical day can be described as follows:
7:00: Waking up and getting ready for the day, making your bed and cleaning the sleeping area if necessary.
8:00: Meeting Ana-Maria at the warehouse: Short briefing and distribution of breakfast packages ordered the evening before (breakfast is normally eaten during the waiting time at the border).
ca. 8:20: Departure of the convoy to Ukraine, Homebase-Team starts their tasks for the day.
Evening/Afternoon: Return of the convoy, loading of the cars for the next day
Evening: The group cooks and eats supper together. Afterward the team reflects the events of the day and is briefed for the following day by the Teamlead.
What is a trip into Ukraine like?
In general: every trip is different, depending on our destination and the current situation!
We always drive as a convoy, and the group always stays together. Each vehicle is crewed by at least two people.
The group is led by Ana-Maria (our local operations manager). She has extensive knowledge of the local area and language. Also, her coordination allows us to cross the border safely and efficiently and complete our drives safely. She has the final say for anything regarding our drives and local operations!
For safety reasons, it is prohibited to take private cell phones, smart watches or other wireless devices to Ukraine. Every car is equipped with walkie-talkies as well as a smartphone with a Ukrainian SIM-Card for communication purposes.
How is the security situation in Ukraine?
The area around Chernivtsi is considered relatively safe compared to most other regions of Ukraine. Chernivtsi is in the western part of the country, a rural region with very few military facilities. Among other reasons, this is also why many internally displaced persons have settled in Chernivtsi.
Air alerts are rare and usually occur at night or in the early morning. We only drive during daylight hours to minimize any possible risk.
The Org-Team is in constant contact with a german farmer who owns a farm close to Siret. His contacts and security team have an overview of the current situation and confirm if our planned routes are safe to drive.
The Johanniter also have several contacts that will proactively warn the Org-Team should there be any danger.
Am I insured during my time in Siret?
Please make sure you have travel health insurance for the entire duration of your stay in Siret. Make sure that your travel health insurance also covers treatments in Ukraine. Crossing the border into Ukraine is not possible without travel health insurance coverage.
A repatriation insurance that covers medical evacuation to your home country if necessary is also recommended.
In case you wish to do so, you can purchase travel insurance directly through the airline (usually WizzAir) that you are flying with. This protects you from costs in case you have to cancel your flight on short notice.
Most travel health insurances do not cover treatment costs for injuries sustained directly because of acts of war. Even though this is a very unlikely scenario, a special insurance provided by Johanniter/Mission Siret covers your treatment costs in this case.
Who will I meet and work with during my Rotation?
Ana-Maria Maidaniuc (Local Operations Manager): Accompanies our drives into Ukraine, manages the aquiring of goods, has great knowledge of our operations area, maintains direct contact with our Ukrainian partners and speaks multiple languages (English, Romanian, Ukrainian and more).
Father Daniel and Crina: Your wonderful hosts, who you will be living with. They both speak English fluently.
Ana White: The right hand of Christian Ebmeyer, the founder of the Mission. A supporter of Mission Siret from the first hour and a contact person for the Teamlead.
Parts of the german Org-Team: Your rotation will be in contact with the german Org-Team regularily. All members of the Org-Team speak fluent English and German.
What should I take with me?
Info: There is a washing mashine and dryer onsite for your clothing.
For everyday work: robust shoes and practical work clothing that can get dirty.
For church service and eating out: We recommend taking one set of clean clothes you feel comfortable going out to church in.
Winters can be very cold in Siret. Please check the weather forecast before your departure and pack accordingly. We will provide a reflecting field jacket for our drives to Ukraine, but warm under- and overwear is still a must.
Allergies/medication: There are few options for gluten- or lactose-free food. If you have special dietary requirements, please let us know beforehand and consider packing supplies. In case you need any regular or emergency medication, please pack a generous supply that should cover your regular stay as well as some extra days. Don’t forget to bring allergy or medication passes and if necessary, please inform our team about special needs or precautions beforehand.
Valid passport and identity card: Check that your passport is valid for the entire duration of your stay in Siret. If you have a non-EU Passport, please inform our team beforehand so we can check the requirements for entry into Ukraine and Romania. Make sure to inform us about any dual citizenships you hold, especially if you are a citizen of Ukraine. Please inform our team in the event of previous entry/visas into Russia or Iran with the same passport you intend on using for your stay in Siret.
If applicable: valid EU drivers license
Remember to scan and save your documents to a cloud service and carry a set of photocopies with you!
What costs can I expect to incur?
Mission Siret relies on donations for 100 % of our expenses – please be considerate with your spending in Siret and make sure to use the cheapest option whenever possible!
Mission Siret covers: Flight costs (for stays longer than 10 days), Food and Drink (no restaurant bils), housing and other mission-related costs (e.g. fuel) -> Remember to collect all bills!
Mission Siret does not cover: Anything not required for basic team needs (coffee, alcohol, tobacco, restaurant dinners…), transfer to your departure airport, flight extras like travel insurance, seat reservations, extra luggage etc.
How will my costs be reimbursed?
Any mission related expenses (see above) that you pay for during your stay in Siret will be reimbursed upon your departure from Siret. Simply upload pictures and amounts from the bills you collected to our coordination platform “EasyVerein” and we will wire the money. Please consider that our organization team is run entirely by volunteers, so the wire transfer can take several business days to be authorized.
Who will organize my travel to Siret?
You yourself! Our team will assist you in selecting the best flights and dates for your arrival and departure to Suceava Airport, the closest airport to Siret. Once our team has confirmed the dates and flights with you, you will book the flights and plan for your transfer to your departure airport.
If you want to start the planning process and join us in Siret, please submit your application via the online form on our website! We will contact you with further information.
Your transfer from Suceava Airport to Siret will be coordinated and payed for by Mission Siret. You will receive all required information via WhatsApp.
Communication with your rotation and members of our team in Siret will be handled exclusively via WhatsApp.
Who can I contact with any further questions?
Teamlead: One volunteer in Siret will be the teamlead for your rotation and answer most of your questions.
Coordination Team: For any questions before your arrival in Siret or the submission of your application, you are welcome to contact our team via e-mail at volunteers@missionsiret.de